Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-07
TEXAS REPRESENTED.
The wards Island Lunatic Asylum Inyes-
tigation Brings Forward a Texan.

INC H6TQB lBlhuO hunallC Asylum lhNcs
tigatton Brings Forward a Texan.
The authorities of New York are max
ing an investigation into the Management
fthe Wards Island lunstic asylum snC
among the many witnesses examined is q
former citizen Of Sherman whose testi
mony is thus described:
George Anderson, q gentleman witt
long hair and Buffalo Bill cast of COup-
ten6nCe, said be had been g patient OF
Wards Island. His residence there Gov
cred term OF seven months. He origi-
nslly came from Sherman, Texas, with
! horses for the Polo club. He described
the sort of food received at different
| meals. They got pickles sometimes that
looked ike verdigris. The stewed apples
would be very nice II il
was not for the amount of hair
IN It. He never got enough TO eat,
and always rose from the table hungry.
The cooking was very bad. Dick, the
| head cook, was drunk tWo-thirds Of the
time and left the crazy people to serve
| up the food.
"How do you know they were Crszy?"
asked Mr.. Wellman.
because If they were not they would
net stay there" promptly responded the
witness.
Tie attendants, VINO had their meals
after the patients, were siWays in such
hurry that the patents had not time
enough for their meals. The attendants
wanted 70 get through. so they could
smoke.
In speaking of acts of violence, the
witness swore that he saw an attendant
named CleRTy choke an iuoffensiye patient
so badly that ne had 70 be revived. The
patient was afterwards sent to ward II
by order of DR.. Trautman, and he died
there IN two weeks.
81 saw patient named Mendels0hn
killed." declared the witness. 81 ssW
McHugh strike him. l also saw CIeary
knock MIN down. His forehead WIGS cut
and the blood clotted his hsir. When
the doctor ordered his head to be washed,
the attendants, McHugh and Cleary, took
MeDdelsohn by the head and feet, and,
placing his head in the sink, grabbed both
feet, and ordering me to turn on the
water, they worked him up and down the
sink like saw"
"Did you report this?" the witness
was asked.
Ono, sir; I knew better. I did not
want to be kept in there for probably
twenty-five years as g permanent
lunRtiC."
The witnessed continued that ne saw
the attendant, Clegry, take q patient
named Blake by the throat and choke
him, simply because he looked out of the
window. He also saw Cleary take an old
patient named Prenaugh, seventy-eight
wears ld,Without teeth or hair, and com
pei him to walt around while the attend
ants whistled, and if he refused he would
strike him on the iace. Another patient
named Rudder Ward, from AmityviIle,
was pulled around the ward by Cleary,
who took hold of him by the whiskers.
The result Of this treatment was that the
patient went into fits. This they called
"hsving fun with the old man."
81 saw McHugh Jump on Parrish, and
saW the attendant, Kerns, Jump On and
kick Lidell, and because LIdel struck
him KerGs and Clcary beat him unmerci-
fully"
The witness, continuing, said that he
saw Clifford snd CIeary beat q patient
named Fish with 9 mop handle and break
il to pieces on him, because Fish would
got 90 to bed. The attendant, Clifford |
Rlways carried heavy stick with him
that he would use on the slightest provo !
cation. The witness Wss put IN charge OF |
seven suicidal patients, and when they |
him, and he called for help, |
Clifford ran in and used his stick right !
and left. The attendant, KerDs, was
really s. kind hearted man, but he was |
EeyR easily exasperGted. Gunstadt, when |
so6eT, spent his time reading the papers;
when drunk he would 90 !
to sleep. The attendant, Cleary,
was ga regular devil" There |
was about four or i've attendants for sew |
enty-tive patients The rooms and bed |
ding were both frst-class. The witness /
knew of man named Drake who was |
confined in the asylum, who IN the sum
ner was crazy on the subject OF base oaIl,
but who in the winter was SIS sane as any
man.
The reason he did not testify at the
,oroner's inquest in the case Of Mendel-
sohn was because he was confined in the
asylum st the time. The attendants were
/ low class Of men; he had seen an at
.endant named Mallon eat up cakes snd
sweet meats sent to the patients by
friends outside, and that he (Msllon)
vent to the friends of patients and de-
handed money for fsvors TO be done, end
hat he kept the money. The witness
llso testified that Mallon stole toOscco
rom the patients. The witness was OIL
he opinion that the department could
obtain better attendants if they would
)ay better salaries